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"We need more diverse and new alternative energy sources, including tidal energy, hydroelectric power, and possibly nuclear energy, not just more windmills"

We asked you for your views on the proposed new carbon budget, and the government stated that it will change the way people live and work. The proposed budget issued by the Climate Change Advisory Committee will apply to every sector of the economy and will outline the limits of the total emissions that can be released. Here are some of the responses we received...

This must happen. Ireland has dragged on for too long. Philip Maniere

I am happy with these carbon budgets, and at the same time I think they will be painful. I hope to have a really good plan for the communities and workers that will be affected by the changes. In fact, although we (Irish people, but also us humans) should have made these changes decades ago. If we do this, the pain will be lessened. The next best time to make these changes is now. Ireland is a small player in carbon emissions, but we are rich and our per capita production is high. We have a moral obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it makes sense for countries to compete to become leaders in green technology and low-carbon policies. Brían Ó Donchadha

Yes, I support the budget. But we are very good at making plans, but they are terrible in terms of implementation. As Greta said, enough la la la la la! We need to take action, I think Eamon Ryan is not determined enough to complete this plan. Of course it’s not very good when the party lasts. RIP the earth. Alan Carr

I think the economic impact of this on the country and ordinary people (especially rural communities) will be too severe and will be felt immediately. I think the world's climate policy should focus first on the largest economies, which are the largest contributors to net carbon. Why has Ireland, which contributed little to the carbon ocean, been disproportionately affected at a faster rate? I totally disagree with the speed of the Irish and EU carbon budgets. David Oldafe

They are reasonable goals, although I will prepare more ambitious goals. The real question is whether they will be respected, or whether the department will look for loopholes or blatantly ignore them. All our futures are at stake. Brian McCaddle

Unless the United States, China and other major polluting countries change their practices, changes in Ireland will not have the slightest impact on global warming. Mark Leach, Dublin

I recently moved to an all-electric apartment for my retirement. I am very worried that when the wind stops, people pay so much attention to wind energy, and our emission targets are likely to plunge Ireland into energy poverty. We need more diverse and new alternative energy sources, including tidal energy, hydroelectric power, and even nuclear energy, not just more windmills. John Hall

The current types of governance are unlikely to achieve the targets set in the carbon budget. The Minister of Transportation has already shown his complete lack of ambition for public transportation by cancelling some highway routes that are vital to rural and urban areas. Farmers have not received any alternatives to help them reduce emissions, but they are always in a state of uncertainty about their future. Adequately responding to climate emergencies means not only reducing quantitative changes in emissions, but also real qualitative changes in the governance system, which essentially means requiring the richest people in society to make the greatest contribution to a just transition. This is not to say that we won't get our house organized in the end. Conor Dowd, Galway City

This is absolutely nonsense. It's nothing more than a clever way to tax us! Julian Arnold

The climate crisis is real, and a carbon budget is needed to determine the key indicators of how we as a country will respond to it. However, my main concern is that vested interests will be involved in endless things and blame other departments and Dáil’s leaders. This may result in very little actual action being taken, thereby downgrading the carbon budget to another piece of paper. Christopher Cummins, Dublin

I support the carbon budget. If we have any chance to achieve our emission targets and make our due contribution to combating climate change, then this is an important step in this journey. There is no way to avoid the fact that this causes pain. There will be many voices trying to promote the notion that we can continue business as usual and postpone these changes to an uncertain time in the future. Other voices will claim that since we are a small country, our emissions are insignificant on a global scale, so we really don’t need to make any changes. Both of these arguments are wrong and morally bankrupt. As stated in the latest IPCC report, given the severity and scale of the problems we face, we can no longer postpone serious action. This will require global efforts. As a wealthy developed country, Ireland should lead by example. Ray O'Connor

I think it is ridiculous to fight against it. We must make some changes. Things cannot be set in stone. Yes, this will cost everyone. I drive a diesel car and have an oil boiler at home, but I admit that I have to change it, and it may pay a price. However, I do believe that the government needs to be more creative in supporting people's transition. Carbon taxes cannot simply be increased. There should be stronger communication, grants, and incentives to help transition, especially in the agricultural sector. Farmers can reduce emissions in many ways. For example, spraying mud with syringes is more effective and can significantly reduce emissions. But this is an expensive piece of equipment, and it is unfair for farmers to bear the cost. This is just an example, but the government needs to start thinking outside the box. Shane Walsh, Ireland

If we want to achieve our emission targets, we need to apply the ecosystem approach outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity to agriculture and other economic sectors. John Duff, Cove

I certainly support the climate budget, but like many other things in Ireland, the hard work is long-term. The annual cost reduction of 8.3% will be implemented by the next government. If there is a Green Party, the number of people in that government may be even smaller. The people of Ireland rejected the "polluter pays" principle of water charges, refused to pay taxes for public transport, and took actions of the High Court to block bicycle lanes. Brian O'Donohue, Dublin

Most of my working hours are related to aviation. In the early days, when no one cared, it was probably the industry with the most air pollution in the world, perhaps the shipping industry. The aviation and shipping industries still have a future, but deriving a percentage that clearly aims to push difficult decisions into the future is not a solution to very real and existing problems. Most of our political leadership is traumatized by the weight of the decisions that need to be made. Like a deer in a car light, their suggestions are too few and too late to appease corporate profits and taxes. Dennis McLean

About 13 years ago, in Ireland, we obtained E85 motor fuel based on bioethanol through Maxol. Maxol's E85 is produced in Ireland from waste (whey permeate) generated during the cheese making process of the Carbery Group. In 2010, the government abolished the consumption tax relief, effectively stifling the country's E85. Therefore, Ireland’s self-produced renewable solutions are made from waste products and are not worthy of government support. why not? E85 is supported in France at a price of 70 cents per liter. A carbon tax is a narrow choice that will only increase the cost of pollution. Providing cheap green alternatives should be a strategy. Aidan Hogarty

The carbon budget is the beginning. However, I think we need to address the root cause of the climate problem more deeply: We live in a capitalist world, which tells us that we are "economic people"-life revolves around becoming consumers, with unlimited supply. Not affected by our choices. Indigenous peoples have a lot to teach the "progressive" world how to live well and how to cooperate with the planet. We are closely connected, and unless our planet is the same, we cannot prosper. Nowadays, most human beings live as if we were separated, as if our behavior had no influence, which led to where we are today.

For me, internal changes must go hand in hand with any external changes. Therefore, I call for "internal climate change"-a radical correction of who we are, our way of life, and what really matters. Isling Richmond

I am happy to see carbon budgets, but they are not ambitious enough, especially in terms of planned reloading. If it was 10, 20, 30 years ago, this might be an acceptable gamble. I have undergone transformational changes, and this is not the end of the world. As we know, not implementing our climate budget will be the end of the world. No matter what we do, life will change, and we will either willingly participate in this change, or follow the trend with the demise of the ecosystem that supports us.

I live on an acre of land with orchards, multiple tunnels, vegetable beds and firewood. This is not the way of life I long for, but I am very comfortable and have realized that it is necessary if we are to solve the climate disaster. I would never realize this when I lived in a three-bed half-bedroom house in Terenure, and spent every important school holiday and weekend in the country hotel in the sun. Since then, my life has changed tremendously, and now I am very accepting of where I am. I am too busy living in the city to understand our precarious situation. It took me a long time to deal with growth constraints, resource depletion and ecological collapse, so I fully understand how unfamiliar they are to those who are caught up and do not pay attention to them. I am that person. Teresa Odonohue

I support the carbon budget and I am glad that we finally seem to be making progress on climate action. The scale of the challenge is daunting, and reading the requirements of us now makes me feel so frustrated that I have not acted early. Brian Donnelly, Dublin

I am very in favor of a carbon budget. I am in my 70s and have been aware of the imminent climate crisis for at least 25 years. Information has always been there, but what is lacking is any form of political leadership—especially in the agricultural sector. In this regard, no effort has been made to explain and show alternatives that can lead a good life without destroying our surrounding environment. I am worried for my grandchildren. Frank Raft

It's too little, too late-but it's better to be late than nothing. Seek truth from facts first: control industrial and corporate consumption. If a factory, farm, mine, or data center consumes more fossil fuels than your town or city consumes, then doing things on the basis of personal responsibility is a bit too much. Tony Phillips

I would be happier if we could load the changes ahead of time, but we are not. Therefore, the budget is feasible and ambitious, but the next step-specifying where and how the changes will change-will be persuasive information. I am willing. I just hope that our political leaders are as willing as I am. We all need to be able to imagine what is possible. A lot of support will be needed. Jane Tuhei

As a single-income family with a newborn and a two-year-old child, I really feel that I cannot afford heating oil this year. I'm trying to sell goods online to get extra cash to help pay for the highest heating oil bill I have ever paid. I bought an electric car last year and it has been playing my role, but when we budget for heating in our home, it will be a cold and cold Christmas-and then electricity prices. The government needs to do more for low-income families. Nick Cassidy, Cork

The carbon budget is a set of figures without details. Without details, I cannot say how it will affect our climate goals, let alone how it will affect me. As a middle-aged person, I feel sympathy for our young activists and the next generation, who are constantly disappointed by our government and inaction.

Why are there no solar panels in all public buildings, including schools? Why are not all commercial waste companies forced to provide composting options to household users? Why do we allow so many data centers without properly assessing the impact on our national grid? Why are these data centers allowed to consume our renewable energy, and we end up having to use more fossil fuels in order to pay more carbon taxes for energy use? Why can't homeowners who use solar panels sell their excess energy back to the grid? In my opinion, the arguments for change will always be concealed by speculators, and money will always overwhelm the urgency of change. Mary Curran

We are a retired couple. Over the past ten years, we have invested our savings in an ethically sustainable green pension fund, switched to the smallest hybrid car, eliminated red meat from our diet, and prioritized Vegetarian, replace oil heating with heat pumps and install panels on photovoltaic roofs, grow summer salad vegetables in greenhouses, and use public transportation when feasible. We actively participate in the climate justice movement. We are committed to paying more taxes and reducing our carbon footprint.

We look to the future with fear of the quality of life of our children and grandchildren, when they are old, and our grandchildren. Patricia Devlin

basic. If the government does it right. Alex James, Dublin

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